Emma Raducanu\u2019s grass campaign is off to a phenomenal start in front of her home crowd at Queen\u2019s Club. She\u2019s reached her second final of 2026, but her path wasn\u2019t easy. The Brit\u2019s matches were affected by rain delays, and she was forced to play her quarterfinal and her semifinal just hours apart on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Despite the inconvenience, Raducanu rose to the occasion, securing two straight-set wins to confirm her place in Sunday\u2019s showdown.<\/p>\n
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Emma Raducanu Reaches First Queen\u2019s Club Final<\/p>\n
A lot has been said about Emma Raducanu\u2019s young career. The Brit became an overnight sensation when she created history at the 2021 US Open as the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam. However, her subsequent results fell short of expectations. The 23-year-old also struggled with injuries and illnesses.<\/p>\n
Raducanu reached her first final since New York at this year\u2019s Transylvania Open, but she simultaneously fell ill and was eventually sidelined for a significant period. The Brit had a rather forgettable return to competition on clay, with no wins and two losses.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s, however, turned the tide on grass. Raducanu, who secured four wins to reach the Queen\u2019s Club final, has yet to drop a set. She\u2019s beaten the likes of Anna Blinkova (6-0, 6-3), Sorana C\u00eerstea (6-4, 6-2), Kamilla Rakhimova (6-3, 7-5), and Iva Jovic (6-2, 6-2).<\/p>\n
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After her semifinal against sixth seed Jovic, Raducanu said, \u201cIt was tricky because we (Raducanu and her team) spent two days pretty much waiting around. It was long days. We got called off pretty late.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raducanu won her first match on June 9, but her second match faced a rain delay and was ultimately moved to June 12. The same day, she was also scheduled to compete against Rakhimova in the quarterfinal, but the jam-packed schedule forced organizers to push her match to Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Brit won her quarterfinal in straight sets, but she suffered a fall mid-match, fueling concerns<\/a> about her fitness against an in-form and well-rested Jovic later on the same day. Raducanu, however, shared a different perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving to play two matches today was a real physical challenge, and I\u2019m really proud of how I overcame that with the help of my team.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI knew playing Iva, she\u2019s one of the most in-form players right now on the tour, so I think having that match and the first one in the morning did help in some ways because I had a better feel of the court rather than going straight in.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike Raducanu, Jovic was able to complete her quarterfinal on Friday. But the former said that her first match on Saturday helped her get accustomed to the court\u2019s conditions. \u201cMaybe it worked in my advantage, but it easily could have gone the other way, and with the slip, especially.\u201d<\/p>\n The one-time Grand Slam champion played sublime tennis to make Jovic uncomfortable throughout the match. \u201cI knew I just had to commit to my shots, and there was only one way to win today, which was play my game and execute it. I\u2019m really proud of how I did that,\u201d she said.<\/a><\/p>\n